


Soulmate AU

by Lets_Go_Steal_A_Fanfic



Category: Leverage
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 13:01:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9441398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lets_Go_Steal_A_Fanfic/pseuds/Lets_Go_Steal_A_Fanfic





	1. Chapter 1

You spent a lot of your time in the hospital. A lot of people did. It was pretty easy to understand why, if you hurt yourself, your soul mate would have the same mark. However, you hated it. You wanted to find your soul mate through some other way. Mostly because whomever your soul mate was, they were either clumsy as all hell or had a very dangerous job. Your body was covered in bruises and scars, but you’d never found them. 

Your family wasn’t rich. You had a decent job for a while, but because of the injuries, you were let go. You moved back in with your aunt and uncle after you were kicked out of your apartment. You just couldn’t afford it anymore. It didn’t help that the hospital was run by a vicious old man who’s soul mate was more likely money than any real person. He would charge through the roof for soul mate injuries, and because you had so many, this affected you and your family a lot. 

“You see Mr. Ford? It’s not right. We would go to another hospital, but it’s not like we can predict when they’re going to have some kind of injury. That’s the closest hospital. It’s not right.” Nate nodded. He had heard of this CEO, but it had only been rumors. 

“My team will gladly take your case,” Nate said with a reassuring smile. 

“We can’t pay you, I’m so sorry.”  
“Don’t worry, we don’t require that kind of payment. Trust me, you’re in good hands.” Something about this client’s injuries was off. They seemed almost familiar. He shook his head; it didn’t really matter anyway, just another client.

* * *

“Thomas Von Matherson, CEO of Heartfelt Hospital. They took advantage of the whole soul mark thing and now they double charge for those injuries. Here’s the craziest part – it’s completely legal. They’re practices are just barely above legal.” Hardison began flipping through documents, showing the team just how horrible this man really was. 

“But these people can’t help it if they get hurt, how is that legal?” Eliot asked. He got hurt a lot himself, but most of it was on the job. He winced when he remembered he probably had a soul mate out there who was in a lot of pain for no reason. They could be getting overcharged at this hospital, he wouldn’t know. Alec began explaining how Heartfelt Hospital wasn’t breaking any laws, but Eliot wasn’t paying attention anymore. 

“Let’s go steal us a hospital.” 

“Again,” Parker corrected, “We’ve already stolen a hospital once.” 

“Fine, let’s go steal a corrupt hospital.” Parker liked that a lot better. 

* * *

“Mr. Van Mattingson, I’m Tom Baker from Baker and Sons Insurance, can we have a word?” Nate and Eliot had gone in undercover to figure out just exactly what this CEO was about. 

“It’s V _on_  M _atherson_ , and I’m sorry but I’m very busy right now.” He was bustling about, obviously trying to avoid them. “If you have any legal questions, please relay them to my lawyer, have a nice day.” The door to his office was slammed in their faces. They looked at each other for a second before turning around to leave. 

“You are good, Eliot. He had no idea you put the bug on him.” Alec said through the coms. Eliot smirked. 

“What’s he doing, Hardison,” Nate asked.

“Makin a phone call to… his lawyer, looks like you guys spooked him pretty good. I’ll push the sound through the coms so you guys can hear this too.” Alec pushed a few buttons and the whole team heard the conversation. 

“But there’s no way they have a real case against us, right? Everything I did, I did because you said I could. I swear if you were setting me up for a lawsuit, I’ll – yes, how did you know? What? Umm…” There was a rustling before a sudden exclamation. “You were right! What do I do? Ok…” There was a loud sound of feedback before Hardison flipped back to regular coms. 

“What the hell was that?” Sophie asked, bringing her magazine up to cover her wincing face. She was in the waiting room of the ER to observe how many soul mate injuries walked in. Parker was playing janitor, mopping floors and check in rooms to see how many soul mate injuries were admitted. 

“He found the bug somehow. The person he was calling must have somehow known about it. Give me a sec, I’m almost done with the trace.” With a few more taps on the keyboard, Hardison found what he was looking for. “Nate, you’re really not going to like this.”

* * *

“IYS insures that hospital?” Nate was practically going ballistic. “How the hell did we not know that before hand?” 

“Technically it’s an IYS subsidiary, so it doesn’t look like IYS insures all these shady companies, but with very little digging, I found it.” 

“OK, new plan. We take down the CEO of this hospital and IYS in one fail swoop.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Eliot agreed. This whole con was making him feel bad about all the times he had put himself in harms way for the team. Someone out there was probably hurting really badly. He shook his head. No reason to make it personal. 

* * *

You were almost home. Your aunt had sent you to the store for some eggs and milk, but just before your hand reached the door, you felt a sharp pain in your side. You doubled over and felt something slice your arm. Blood dripped onto the sidewalk as you layed there. You found that when something like that happened, it was easier to just lay there and let it than power through the pain. Your aunt heard the noise and rushed out to see if you were OK. A few more sharp pains in your stomach and the ordeal was over. Your aunt helped you up and inside. 

“Sorry about the eggs,” you mumbled as your aunt gave you your pain medication. 

“Don’t worry about the eggs, honey. Eggs can be repurchased, I can’t buy another you.” You gave her a smile before she looked down at your arm. “Take off your sweatshirt, dear, if the blood dries in it, the stain will never come out. I’ll toss it in the wash and drive you to the hospital.”  
“No, I shouldn’t go to the hospital, you know how much they charge, it’s really fine this time, nothing I can’t handle.” Your aunt gave you a disapproving look before taking your sweatshirt down to the washing machine. 

* * *

“Sure you’re OK? That one guy had a knife.” Parker was looking over Eliot. He had tied a rag around his bleeding wound. He had had worse. 

“I’m fine Parker.” Sophie raised one eyebrow in opposition. Parker walked away to see what Nate and Hardison were up to. 

“Something’s eating you up.” Sophie could always tell when something was wrong. 

“I’m not gonna talk about this with you, Sophie.” Eliot turned and walked away. He didn’t want anyone to realize just how vulnerable this case made him feel. He shook his head. He didn’t even know if his soul mate was still alive, he shouldn’t get this attached or feel this bad. He and Nate had gotten ambushed when they were making their way back to the hospital. Eliot had fended the men off, but not without taking a couple of blows. Something was changing; he just didn’t want to admit it.


	2. Chapter 2

You woke up in the hospital, your aunt and uncle siting next to you. 

“I said I was fine,” you managed to mumble out. You aunt held your hand and gave you a reassuring smile. 

“You don’t remember what happened last night, do you?” 

“You had another attack, we had to take you to the hospital,” you uncle continued. You sighed. You hated being such a burden on your family. Your uncle looked at his watch and grimaced. 

“Time to go to work?” You asked. He looked up, startled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You guys go to work and I’ll be out before you know it, I promise.” Your aunt didn’t seem all that convinced, but she left with your uncle. You ran your fingers through your hair anxiously. A couple of hours later, a nurse came in and discharged you. You got up and made your way down the hallway to the elevator. You were the only one in it, which made you calm down a bit. Your scars tended to make people stare, and that was the last thing you wanted. You started on the thirteenth floor, and you sighed when it stopped on the sixth floor. Two men jumped in the elevator and quickly pressed down the button which made the doors close faster. They both were out of breath. It was your turn to stare at them. The cute one smiled at you. You gave a half hearted smile back. Your eyes flickered down to his hand. There was a small ‘X’ shaped scar just below his thumb. You instinctively rubbed your forefinger over a scar almost identical to that one on your own hand. Before you had the opportunity to say anything, the elevator dinged and the two men rushed out. You were on the first floor. Taking a deep breath, you stepped out of the elevator cart and began to walk home. Usually you would just hail a cab, but you wanted to clear your head. 

* * *

Eliot and Nate were once again seen by the CEO’s henchmen. They both bolted towards the elevator and Eliot pressed the button down. Almost immediately, the doors opened and the two men rushed inside. Eliot smiled friendly at the person inside the cart. They were pretty cute. He shook his head slightly. He had to focus. 6 floors, 5 floors, 4 floors… his eyes wandered back to them and he noticed they were rubbing a scar. One that looked eerily similar to a scar on his own hand… _Ding!_  The noise of the elevator hitting the ground floor jolted him out of his trance. He practically dragged Nate out of the elevator and out the front doors to Lucille. His mind was still on that cute stranger with the matching scar. Was it just a coincidence? 

* * *

You got home without anything going wrong, for once. Your aunt and uncle were at their respective jobs, so you decided to just hang out for a while. You had already applied electronically to three different stores that you hadn’t heard back from. You checked your email. You got the mail. You made dinner. Everything was just fine. 

Your aunt and uncle got home. You all ate dinner together as a family, and then you helped your uncle wash the dishes. 

“Really, I’m just tired, I’m fine, I promise.” You had to convince them that you weren’t sick. You usually went to bed much later than them, but tonight, you just wanted to be alone. You walked up the steps to your room and closed the door. You got ready for bed, then laid down, covering yourself up to your neck in blankets and waited for sleep to overcome you. It was 11:30 when you decided that sleep just wasn’t going to happen. You redressed, slipped your shoes on, and then quietly opened your window and clambered down the side of the house. You took a walk to the hospital. You usually hung out there late at night when you couldn’t sleep. You figured it was easier than wandering the streets waiting for another pain attack. This night was no different. 

* * *

Eliot was only there to protect Hardison. He had to hack into the CEO’s computer, but given the amount of henchmen he had working for him, it was better to be safe than sorry. Of course, though, it had taken longer than planned and they were once again, spotted by security guards. 

“We gotta go, man,” Eliot said, sticking his head into the darkened office. 

“Yeah give me a sec.” 

“Damnit Hardison!” Eliot exclaimed as he grabbed the hacker by the arm (who in turn, grabbed the flash drive with all the information they needed) and dragged him out of the office. He decided the stairs would be easier. When they ran out of stairs, Eliot found an exit and pushed Hardison through it. The goons were not far behind them.

* * *

You were sitting on one of the picnic tables in the back of the hospital, staring up at the stars. It was quiet, peaceful almost. That is, until you heard the back door bang open and two men run out. They were heading straight towards you. Your eyes widened, but you realized one of them was the cute guy you had seen in the elevator earlier that day. 

“You?” You asked once they were in hearing range.

“You?” He repeated, just as confused. Then the door banged open again and two different men ran out towards the three of you. The cute one grabbed your arm and you all started running. You reached a black van, and despite what you were told when you were little, you got into the windowless van with the two strangers. You were all out of breath, but once the doors closed behind you, you could all stop to catch it. 

* * *

“Who’s this?”  Parker asked, looking at the third person Eliot had tossed in the van. 

“They were right behind us. If they didn’t get us, they would go for them.” Eliot was staring at you. There was something almost familiar about you. The van was quiet until you got back to the pub. Eliot helped you out and led you down the steps and into the pub where Nate and Sophie were waiting. Nate’s eyes asked the same question Parker had in the car. All Eliot could do was shrug. After all, he didn’t actually know who you were. 

* * *

“You look familiar, do I know you?” Nate asked once you had all sat down. 

“I don’t think so, unless you know my aunt and uncle, I’d put my money on no.” 

“Aunt and uncle? You don’t perchance have an issue with a certain corrupt hospital CEO, do you?” 

“Yes…?” Nate smiled.

“Then I do know you. Team, meet our client.” He introduced you to his team. The cute was named Eliot. “Your aunt and uncle hired us to take care of that CEO.” Nate added. 

“Wait, we can’t afford anything like that –“  
“We don’t take money, don’t worry.” You were just as confused as your aunt and uncle were when Nate had explained it to them. “Eliot, why don’t you get them home, it’s almost 2AM.” Eliot nodded and you both got up. The drive back to your house was almost silent. You told him the directions, but other than that, you said nothing. He parked the car right outside the front of the house, and you reached for the door handle when he finally spoke. 

“Wait.” You turned back to him and he grabbed your hand. He ran his rough fingers over your scar. You caught another glimpse of his. “When did you get this?” He asked. His voice was steady, but his eyes were desperate. You swallowed. 

“Two years ago,” you said quietly. His eyes widened. 

“It’s you.”


	3. Chapter 3

_Two years ago…._

He was just supposed to retrieve one stupid vase. But of course, his employer didn’t mention the fact that it was more valuable than money to the person who owned it. He didn’t count on getting caught. After four hours of torture and no results, both Eliot and the man he was stealing from had had enough. As he was fighting the guards, he was cornered, almost pressed up against a steaming metal pipe. Something hit his hand and it flew back, landing on a knob. He didn’t feel any pain at first, but then it was excruciating. He felt the pipe valve knob burning his hand and quickly pulled it away. That would leave a scar. He shrugged it off and escaped. With the vase of course. 

* * *

You were working. Re-shelving produce at a supermarket. It wasn’t a glorious job, but it was a job none the less, and made it so you were able to afford your apartment. Out of nowhere, your hand began to burn. You dropped the jar of pickles and it smashed all over the floor. A thin ‘X’ shape appeared just below your thumb. You thought you were dying. That was when it started. 

Your aunt had told you that it would happen sooner or later. Once people turned 18, if they hadn’t met their soul mate, they would start to share some sort of bond. If one got hurt, the other would hurt as well. You were dating a guy at the time, and when you got to your apartment, you grabbed his left hand. No ‘X’. That relationship didn’t last much longer. 

* * *

You stared at Eliot. It couldn’t be. There was just no way. 

“It really is you.” He was breathless. If you had known Eliot for longer than just a few hours, you would know how rare that really was. “I’m so sorry.” His demeanor suddenly changed from one of wonder to one of guilt. 

“Sorry for what?” Eliot cocked an eyebrow. You knew what he meant. “Don’t worry about it. Probably deserved some of them anyway,” you said with a chuckle. Eliot lifted your chin with his forefinger. 

“No one deserves what I’ve been through, least of all you.” It was your turn to look skeptical. 

“Says the man who’s known me for what, three hours?” You were smirking. He rolled his eyes. A light flickered on in your aunt and uncle’s house. “I should probably go. See you later?” It was both a goodbye and an open-ended question. He nodded. You exited the car and shimmied up  the side of the house and back into your room. Once safely under your covers, your door creaked open and you heard your aunt call your name softly. 

“Yeah? What’s goin’ on? What time is it?” You masked your voice in pretend fatigue. 

“Just making sure you’re ok. Get some rest, sweetheart.” She closed the door and you fell asleep. 

* * *

Eliot got back to McRory’s later than he expected to. After he dropped you off, he wandered aimlessly, trying to figure out if he had just let the one person whom he was supposed to be with forever out of his car. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. 

“They ok?” Alec asked as Eliot practically threw himself down into a seat. 

“Yeah, they’re fine. We gotta get this CEO.” 

“And IYS,” Parker added. Eliot nodded in agreement. 

“Everything OK?” Sophie asked as they all left to go home and get some rest. 

“Everything’s fine,” Eliot grumbled. Sophie sighed. Something was wrong with the hitter and he wasn’t going to come clean about it any time soon. 

* * *

The next morning, you woke up late. Your aunt had let you sleep in, probably because of the late night you had two night previous. She knew you took a couple of days to recuperate after particularly bad trips to the hospital. It was almost noon when you finally went down the stairs into the kitchen. Your uncle had left a note for you, which said that he had made breakfast for you, and that there was a message on the answering machine for you. You smiled and grabbed the plate from the fridge and stuck it into the microwave. You hit the 30 seconds button and wandered over to the answering machine and hit play. 

“We here at CVS liked your resume, and would like to interview you to see if you’d fit in with our family. Please call back as soon as you can and we’ll set up a time!” The man’s voice that rang through the answering machine was almost too happy, but you didn’t care. After continuously submitting your resume to places, you had finally gotten an interview. You silently did a little happy dance as the microwave beeped at you. You got your plate and began shoveling the food down. After you’d washed your plate, you picked up the house phone and dialed the number the happy man had left. 

“Hello, CVS, this is Chad how can I help you.” It was definitely a different man than the one who left the message. You first introduced yourself before diving into the details of your call. 

“…And the message said I should call back as soon as I got the message, so here I am.” It was hard to control your excitement. There was silence on the other end. “Hello?”

“Let me transfer you to Doug, he can help you.” There was hardly a click before the same man from the message began to speak.

“So glad you still want to work with us. How would this afternoon be? Say 1:00?” You were slightly taken a back by how soon the interview would be, but the sooner the better.

“Um, that sounds great, thank you so much!” 

“No problem, look forward to meeting you!”  _Click_. You smiled up at the ceiling. Finally, you were getting your life back. You ran back up the stairs and took a quick shower. You combed your hair and put on a fairly nice outfit. You looked at yourself in the mirror. It was going to have to do. It was already 12:30 and it took almost 20 minutes to get to CVS from your aunt and uncle’s house. You slipped on some comfortable, yet nice shoes and left the house at a brisk pace. You ended up across the street at 12:50. Just as you were about to cross to the CVS, someone grabbed your arm. 

“Hey – what are –“ You couldn’t even finish the question before a bag was stuffed over your head and you were tossed into a car.


	4. Chapter 4

You woke up in a dark room. You tried to move your arms and legs but you seemed to be tied to something. You tried to pull yourself free but you stopped when you heard a door squeak open. You saw no light. Suddenly the bag was ripped from your head and a bright spotlight was flicked on straight into your face. You were asked to confirm your name. 

“Yes,” you gasped, struggling to force the words out. The sudden transition from dark to light made your eyes freak out. You saw nothing but little whisps of something floating in front of your eyes. You tried to blink them out but to no avail. 

“Who is Nathan Ford?” A deep voice demanded from you. Nathan Ford? You couldn’t recall…

“I have no idea who you’re talking about!”   
“You do and you’re going to give me his whereabouts and his associates names and whereabouts,” he paused and got closer to you. The only reason you knew that was you could now feel his breath on your neck. You flinched. “Or I will torture it out of you.” His voice had gone lower and you shivered. 

“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” You squeaked out. 

“Fine.” You heard the door squeak open and close again. Then nothing but pain. 

* * *

Eliot was getting nervous. He knew from Hardison that your aunt and uncle were out working for most of the day, and you were unemployed, so you really should be at your aunt and uncle’s house. He went there with the full intention of trying to convince you that you needed protection. But when he got there, the house was empty. No sign of a struggle or forced entry, you clearly left of your own devices. Maybe you just went to the store. He made himself comfortable on your couch, but after about 30 minutes without your return he began to get more anxious. Then he felt something hit the back of his head. He felt it with his hand, but his back was to a wall. He chalked it up to his imagination, but before he knew it, the pain intensified. His insides felt like they were on fire. He knew that feeling anywhere – electrocution. But he was no where near a source. He felt the surge go through him again and again for several minutes before it stopped. It took him a second, but when his head cleared, everything started to make sense. You were in trouble. He practically ran out the front door of your house and back into his truck, making a beeline for McRory’s. He got to the bar and raced up stairs. Everyone was in Nate’s apartment going over files and reading up on their respective marks. Everyone’s heads snapped up when Eliot burst in the door. He was out of breath, both from running, and the electrocution. Sophie was the most concerned. 

“What’s wrong, Eliot?” His eyes said everything. He was more open to Sophie in those seconds than he’d ever been. She quickly sat him down and forced the whole story out of him. 

“So they’re your…soulmate?” Alec asked once Eliot had finished. He tossed an angry glare his direction. 

“When exactly were you planning on telling me?” Nate was frustrated. It was hard enough taking down a rogue IYS agent and a corrupt hospital without having soulamates or relationships get in the way. 

“I wasn’t.” Nate sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Well team, let’s go steal us back a client.” He grumbled, clearly frustrated with the way the con had progressed.

* * *

You woke up on your own to a dark room once again. You were terrified, and rightly so, but you also knew that the only way you were getting out was either on your own or telling the man what he wanted to hear. The problem with the latter was that you actually didn’t have a clue what he wanted. All you knew was that you didn’t have the information he wanted. You heard the door squeak open again, but this time, you were ready. You saw, through the crack, depressing green painted walls and a graying linoleum floor. Someone walked by in a lab coat. And then your view was obstructed and the door closed. You knew what was coming. 

“Let’s try this one more time. Who. Is. Nathan Ford?” You took a second before answering. 

“He’s a family friend. Helping pay off the medical bills because I rack up so…many…” The man had stood up and was pacing now. 

“I know you are just telling me what you think I want to hear. It is admirable. However, you guessed incorrectly, so now I must give you more time to…think.” You felt tears well up in your eyes. This was how it was going to end. You had only just found your soulmate, and now, you’d never know anything about him. You watched the man leave, but this time, you saw someone wheel by on a gurney, and everything clicked. You were in the hospital. Plan A had clearly not worked, and you were so weak that there was nothing you could do to escape, but you suddenly realized that your curse could also be your salvation. You braced yourself for the pain, working out how you were going to execute your genius plan. 

* * *

Eliot was sitting on the couch watching his friends work. Sophie had tried giving him work to do, but he kept getting distracted. Out of nowhere, he felt something obstruct his airway. He started to choke. He knew what was happening; they were waterboarding you. It would stop and start for about ten minutes, but every second hurt like hell. This must have been what it was like for you and Eliot immediately felt ashamed at how poorly he’d treated himself, and you, over the years. 

About fifteen minutes later, he felt something scrape against his hand three times. He glanced down and saw an ‘H’ indented into his hand by what looked like long nails. Slowly, the letters began to appear until they spelled one word. 

“Guys, I know where they are.” Eliot said standing up and advancing toward the door. 

“Where’s that?” Nate asked. Eliot held up his hand. The word ‘Hospital’ was crudely carved into the back. He nodded to Eliot and the rest of the team followed him out to the van. 

Eliot drove, though he drove like Parker on crack. He swerved in between cars and turned at a moment’s notice. His only priority was to help you. Pulling up to the hospital, he put the car in park and jumped out. Grabbing a needle off a passing cart, he gently dragged the needle across the back of his hand until it spelled out “I’m here where r u?” He hoped that you could see your hand. He anxiously waited your reply. 

* * *

Unfortunately for you, you couldn’t see the back of your hand, but you sure felt the needle scrape your skin. Thankfully, you could feel the letters being traced out and could extrapolate what they would mean. The problem then turned into the fact that you actually had no idea where in the hospital you were. You thought hard, and suddenly, you knew exactly where you were. You carefully pressed your nail into your skin to carve out the letters. 

* * *

“The morgue is usually in the basement, right?” Eliot asked Nate. It wasn’t really a question, he knew exactly where the morgue was, but he had to be sure. Nate nodded, and the two of them headed toward the elevator. No one was in it but them. There was a button labeled LL, but unfortunately, once pressed, a key card had to be swiped. Eliot almost punched the display in anger, but Nate produced a key card and swiped before he had the chance. 

“Parker figured we might need one.” Eliot nodded. She could be annoying as hell, but God, he’d never been happier to have a thief on the team. Once the doors opened, Eliot was out of the elevator. He was greeted with the most depressing shade of green, which wasn’t aided by the harsh, florescent lighting. He glanced over at Nate. The whole corridor was full of doors. Finding you could take a while.  


	5. Chapter 5

Eliot and Nate began opening doors at random, usually finding nothing but a storage room filled part of the way with boxes or other supplies. Eliot wasn’t paying attention to how much noise he was making, so both he and Nate got quite a surprise when they both closed door simultaneously only to find two guns being pointed in each of their faces. Nate’s hands went up in surrender, but Eliot only glared. He wanted so badly to take this guy out, but he knew Nate had other ideas. 

The two were led further down the corridor until they reached a door. It looked the same as all the other ones, but inside, the room was bigger than the previous storage rooms. And sitting in what appeared to be the center, was you. Your eyes flickered upwards when the door opened, and you saw four people walk in. One garbled something into a walkie-talkie, but you couldn’t tell what he was saying. One of the men rushed over to you. 

“Are you ok?” Your eyes adjusted and you saw it was Eliot. You closed your eyes, but your mouth crooked into a smile. He’d found you. He held your face in his hands, trying to ensure you were ok.

Before long, the door opened again. It was the man who had signaled for your torture. You’d know that clacking of shoes anywhere. Eliot had left your side, and you were terrified. 

“We found your friends. And now, we’re going to do to them, exactly what I did to you until I get what I want.”

“Why are you doing this?” You asked, your voice filled with fear.

“Can’t have anyone making a stink about my hospital. Bad press, IYS will get involved, I can’t have that.” His voice had turned deeper and more menacing. “Now, this won’t hurt a bit. Oh wait, yes it will hurt like hell,” he chuckled. You swallowed hard and braced yourself for pain.

But it never came. You heard the sounds of fists hitting flesh, and several loud grunts of pain before you opened your eyes. The two men who had escorted Nate and Eliot were all down on the ground, tied up with tape on their mouths. The ring leader was now out cold, lying down on the floor. Eliot didn’t skip a beat before untying you and helping you to your feet. You were weak and tired, but with an arm slung around Eliot’s neck, you three were able to get from the room to the hallway, and from the hallway to the elevator. Before you were able to even press the button to call the elevator, it dinged open. Inside were two different men.

“Sterling?” Nate asked, clearly confused and upset. 

“Hello Nate.” Sterling seemed unaffected, almost indifferent, despite the fact that Eliot had a half-dead person hanging off of him. Sterling moved to the side and pushed the other, clearly terrified man to the edge of the elevator, making room for you, Nate, and Eliot. The three of you shuffled in and Sterling pressed one of the floor buttons. It was an executive level. The CEO’s office. It was an uncomfortable elevator ride to say the least. Eliot was holding you entire body weight at this point, you were too weak to stand on your own. When the elevator dinged open again, Sterling strode out first, followed by the other unknown man. Nate followed them, and Eliot dragged you along behind. Once inside the office, Nate swung and punched Sterling in the face. Eliot set you down on the couch and started tending to your wounds. You saw him smile when he heard Nate’s fist connect with Sterling’s jaw. The unnamed man just huddled in a corner. 

“Well I guess I deserved that,” Sterling said, rubbing his jaw. 

“What the hell is going on, Sterling?” Nate was furious. 

“I was just getting to that before you punched me in the face,” He was still rubbing his tender jaw, but he continued to speak, “IYS insures this hospital. It was making considerably more money than it should have,  _this_ ,” Sterling gestured to the still unnamed man, “Was your replacement. He was sent down here to investigate. Instead of investigating, he participated. Basically what’s been going down here, is Mr. Von Matherson has been illegally charging certain patients more than others, and denying their insurance claims. So what  _he_  was supposed to do, was figure out why there were never any lawsuits.” At this point Sterling’s hand moved from his jaw to the bridge of his nose. “Instead of finding the problem and squashing it out, he found the problem and then made it worse.” He turned to the IYS agent who was still cowering in the corner. “You’re fired, by the way, I hope I made that clear.” He turned back to Nate. “IYS will be compensating anyone who was hurt because of this corrupt CEO’s wrong-doings, and he will be fined and have to pay those damages.” Eliot’s eyes suddenly went wide and he turned to Nate. 

“Well, we’ll see how fast he can pay those bills…” Nate said cryptically. “I still hate you.” He said to Sterling, who only chuckled. Eliot helped you up and the three of you went back into the elevator and down to the ground floor. Eliot had fixed you up as best he could. The two escorted you to the van where Hardison, Sophie, and Parker were all waiting. 

“Got what you need Hardison?” Nate asked as he climbed into the passenger seat. 

“More than enough,” he answered, smiling. Eliot helped you into the back, and Sophie climbed out to get into the driver’s seat. 

“You want us to drop you at home, sweetheart?” Sophie called from the front of the van. You winced. You had completely forgotten your aunt and uncle. They were probably worried sick about you. But at the same time, you were also sure you looked like hell, and it would only worry them more. Eliot saw you wince and immediately asked if you were ok. 

“Yeah, I’m just pretty sure I look like hell and I don’t want to worry my aunt and uncle.” Eliot smirked. Of course you would worry about how everyone else was, beside yourself. 

“Oh trust me, you look worse.” Parker said, staring at your brusied and bloodied face. 

“Damnit, Parker,” Eliot said under his breath. You just laughed, even though it hurt. 

“We’ll head back to the bar, Soph, get ‘em cleaned up there.” Sophie shrugged and turned down a different street and headed back to the bar. 

* * *

Eliot wouldn’t let you out of his sight. You had to ensure him you’d be fine, you just needed to shower and clean all of the blood off of you. Reluctantly he let you, but Sophie reported to you afterwards, he almost never took his eyes off of the bathroom door. Nate gave you some sweatpants and an old t-shirt to wear, as it was, his apartment after all. You were grateful, but you felt pretty awkward when you walked out and all five heads swiveled to see you. You could feel the blush rising in your face. Eliot got up from the couch and asked if you needed anything. You rolled your eyes. 

“I’m good, I guess, considering…” You chuckled to fill the awkward silence. 

“Let me take you home,” he suggested and you jumped at the idea. All you wanted to do was sleep. Eliot helped you to his car and drove you home. He stopped outside the front. He was reminded of the previous night. It was just as dark now. He watched as you got out of the car, and he didn’t see you again until he was saving you from the monsters who hurt you. He wanted nothing more than to never let you out of his sight again, but he also understood that he only met you yesterday, and he understood that you might not want to just jump into a relationship after the ordeal you had just had. 

Sleepily, you thanked him for the ride and went to get out of the car. You had regained a lot more strength now. 

“Call me, tomorrow, just to let me know you’re ok?” He asked. The words fumbled out of his mouth. Eliot Spencer was not new to vulrnability, but he was new to showing it. You stopped and turned to him. 

“Promise.” You walked slowly in front of the car and all the way up to the house. Eliot watched you fumble around with the door before opening it. You were imedately engulfed in the arms of your aunt and uncle. You were dragged inside. Eliot smiled softly before driving away. 

* * *

Eliot had a hard time sleeping that night. He tossed and turned, trying to remind himself that you were OK, and that he was just over reacting. He had just fallen asleep when he was woken up by the sound of his phone going off. He fumbled around his nightstand trying to find it before hitting ‘answer’. 

“Hello?” He sounded groggy. 

“Shit, I woke you up didn’t I? I’m so sorry…” It was you. Eliot perked up.

“No, no, it’s fine, what’s wrong? Are you OK?” 

“Um…this is gonna sound so stupid, I’m so sorry.”  
“Babe, don’t worry about it, what’s wrong.”  
“I keep having these…nightmares, and I can’t sleep…” You weren’t really sure what you were asking until he asked the question for you. 

“Do you want me to come over?” 

“Yes.” 

“Give me fifteen minutes.” Eliot jumped out of bed and grabbed a duffle bag. He tossed a new outfit into it, his toothbrush, shampoo, etc. before grabbing his keys and heading out to his truck. 

Exactly fifteen minutes later, he had texted you ‘Here’. Your heart fluttered and you opened your window. It opened onto the side of the house. It was something you’d done a million times, but it took Eliot a try or two. He was quiet, but every snap of a branch, or slip of his foot on the side of the house made you cringe. Finally, he clambered through the window and into your room. You giggled, and Eliot gave you a questioning look. 

“I feel like I’m in a shitty teen movie,” you answered in a whisper, gesturing towards the window. He chuckled, and then pulled you into a tight hug. You laid your head in his chest, enjoying the warmth that was radiating off of him. A cool breeze blew through the window, and you jumped. Eliot let you go before turning around and carefully shutting the window. You lay back down on your bed and he joined you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You closed your eyes, feeling safer than you ever had in your life; in the strong arms of your soulmate.


End file.
